Showbiz

Stipe thrilled Jay-Z used lyrics

Michael Stipe has said how honoured he was that Jay-Z used REM lyrics on his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail.

Jay-Z included words from the REM hit Losing My Religion on his new song Heaven.

Stipe told NME: "I've known Jay for a long time, he's super cool, super grounded, super smart and super talented.

"I've always had the deepest respect for him, and his music and choices. We're thrilled to be included, it's a really great honour."

Meanwhile, Magna Carta Holy Grail has broken records in the US, becoming Spotfiy's most streamed album in one week.

Jay-Z's latest album was streamed over 14 million times since it was released last week, topping records previously held by Daft Punk and Mumford And Sons. The record also had the biggest single day for streaming an album in US Spotify history.

Magna Carta Holy Grail went straight to number one in the UK when it was released last week, knocking Mumford And Sons into second place.